Revisiting the question of a return in the lens of transnationalism, trajectories, aspirations and constraints

Abstract

In the conclusion, the author presents a personal reading of the contributions of this issue through a twofold exercise of theoretical perspective, drawing on her own research on return migration in the African context. Firstly, she highlights the way in which the articles link the concepts of « return » and « transnationalism ». Secondly, she discusses how the question of return reveals (a) the link between the family, material, professional and migratory trajectories of migrants, (b) the gap between the aspirations of individuals and the constraints they face, and (c) the strategies they implement to face the latter.